Lady Hideaway Ch. 07

Conner wasn’t sure how long he held Tessa in the doorway. Her wide blue eyes were locked onto the yard. Desy had come in some time ago and was curled up and sleeping against Conner’s shoe. Conner had been paying attention to Tessa the whole time, looking for signs of panic. So far, she had been oddly calm.

Conner finally lifted his hand and carefully pushed a strand of Tessa’s hair behind her ear, drawing her attention towards him. When their eyes locked he smiled and then took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. Tessa just stared at him, until he took a step out the door, drawing her hand with him, at which point she planted her feet and held back.

“Conner wait!”

Conner stopped, and as requested, waited. The sound of Tessa’s voice also got Desy’s attention and the pup made his way back outside again, anxious to be followed. But Tessa and Conner seemed to notice nothing but one another at the moment. Conner was waiting for Tessa to say something, and even if she pulled away now and ran back into her house it wouldn’t bother him. He had her standing in an opened doorway. Definitely progress. Of course, leading her into a private backyard was nothing compared to leading her out the front door, but it was still something.

“This is why you gave me a puppy?” Tessa asked, her voice was low again, but Conner could hear her, “Conner…you tricked me.”

Conner smiled. He couldn’t help it, she had a baffled innocence about her that seemed amusing to him, but he decided now was definitely not the time to laugh at her, even if it was good natured.

“I didn’t mean to.” Conner replied, “I will admit that when I got the dog I was hoping it would help you…hoping. Honestly, I thought you’d figure it out sooner and ask me to take him back. So…are you angry?”

Tessa shook her head.

“Surprised.” She uttered.

Conner watched as her eyes roamed the yard again, her nervousness was present, but there was something else too. She looked like a woman about to go to war. Conner supposed, in many ways she was. He squeezed her hand without pulling her and brought her attention back to him.

“We can go back in if you want.” Conner offered, “But, if you’d like to come out here with me, I swear that nothing bad will happen.”

Tessa closed her eyes. She knew her hand was already outside. The only thing holding her in the house was her feet planted into the floor, that, and the fears that had been plaguing her for six years. If she stepped outside now would it all be over? No, of course not, that would be wishful thinking. Did she want to do this? Yes, she wanted it. She wanted to make Conner happy and she wanted to do this for herself too. She wanted to prove to herself that she didn’t have to be afraid of everything; she had a rite to be happy, just like everyone else. Conner had shown her that. But, was she still afraid of the consequences that would come with living her life out in the open, was she afraid of the past coming back to haunt her and everyone she loved? Most definitely.

For Tessa, it all came down to the moment. What she wanted, right then, with Conner. All that mattered was that second, if she let anything else get in the way she would be lost, she would send Conner away and she would be alone, the way she had forced herself to be alone for years. She wasn’t ready to go back to that. She was almost equally uncertain if she wanted to move forward, but one feeling outweighed the other, and with eyes closed she stepped forward, feeling the cement steps under her bare feet and the sun beating down on her, she took another step, straight into Conner’s arms.

Tessa heard the sharp intake of a relieved breath come from Conner and she wrapped her arms around him a little tighter, suddenly wanting to reassure him. Reassure Conner? Tessa almost laughed at herself. She was outside; trying to face her fears and all she could think about were Conner’s nerves. She wondered if he was feeling more nervous than she was. The thought was completely wonderful. Maybe she wasn’t as weak as she believed herself to be.

Tessa slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Conner, finding that yes, he was in fact nervous. He was waiting for the worst, waiting for her to run back inside and blame every insecurity on him. That just wasn’t going to happen, and Tessa forced herself to smile to say so. She snuggled close to him in the process of reaching for his hand; she didn’t want a single moment to pass without touching some part of him while she took in this familiar yet foreign experience.

Very cautiously, she allowed her gaze to drift from Conner again, taking in deep breaths as her eyes wandered over her back yard. Guarded instincts took over first, as she looked for any sign of danger. There were no doors to lock out here and the only security she seemed to have at the moment was Conner’s hand. She began to take in the sounds around her: the birds, the passing cars from the street, the distant sound of children playing, and someone mowing their lawn. It all seemed too close for comfort at first.

Desy’s little yippy bark drew her attention and she watched him play for a moment, and focusing on that, she began to move forward, trying to get accustomed to sounds and feelings that had been forgotten. She stepped carefully over the grass, as if she didn’t want for it to make any sound under her feet as she took a tour of her back yard.

Conner followed closely, silently. There was no need for words as he watched Tessa explore, and he felt special, knowing that he was the one she had chosen to do this with. It may seem like such a simple thing to do, but Conner knew better. For Tessa, this was a big step. It wasn’t exactly a miracle, but it was special for both of them nonetheless.

He followed her over the grass, around the pool, which he noticed she kept a shy distance from, the kind that told him she didn’t accidentally want to fall in. She touched a few cactus thorns and it made him nervous, but she never drew her own blood, and she even took the time to touch the brick wall surrounding her yard, as if checking for some sort of weaknesses.

They circled everything twice before Tessa stopped. Conner waited for a few moments before he realized that she wasn’t exactly sure what to do now. He smiled to himself as he gave her hand a tug and pulled her back to the grass. Tessa followed, completely trusting of him as he pulled her down to sit with him. She held tight to his hand with one of hers and pet the grass with the other, and when Desy came for attention she began to pet him as he rolled in the grass next to her.

“Conner.” Tessa said softly.

Conner didn’t have to look at her when she spoke; he already was looking, even if she wasn’t looking at him. When he failed to vocally answer Tessa turned her gaze in his direction and he smiled. He noticed the look of satisfaction in her eyes and the way he was looking at her caused her to blush.

“I like my gift.” She said, running her fingers through the course yet soft hair of the puppy, “Both of them.”

Conner smiled and reached out to touch her face. He felt like he needed to touch it because the way she looked was better than in the pictures he had seen, and much to his liking, she leaned into his palm and for the first time released his hand only to grip his shirt and pull him towards her. Conner met her lips openly and took the time to feel every sensation she brought to his mouth, letting her explore while he simply responded to it. He had thought that nothing could top the first kiss that they shared, but he was not beyond admitting that he was wrong.

Conner could have stayed like that all day, but one neglected puppy had other ideas, and Desy interrupted them again by jumping up and licking at their joined faces. They laughed and separated, but Conner continued to gently caress her face with his thumb.

“I’m so proud of you.” he smiled.

Tessa blushed and averted her eyes, but they were back on him within a second. He smiled and opened his arms for her and she happily leaned into his chest as Conner let his body fall back. They lay in the grass for a while, and Tessa closed her eyes and simply felt the sun and the air drifting over her body. Desy restlessly bounded around them and sometimes over them, trying to get their attention, but eventually the puppy gave up and found a place to nap not far from their feet.

“It’s not so bad out here.” Tessa sighed, “Hot though.”

“Yea.” Conner smiled, “but it’s worth it, right?”

Tessa nodded.

“I don’t think I could do this with anyone else Conner. I don’t think I’d want to. Ever.”

There was only one way Conner knew how to respond to that. He propped himself up on his elbow and kissed her.

They didn’t stay outside for too long, Tessa wasn’t ready for it. When they went back inside there was a comfortable calm, but Conner noticed that when Tessa locked the door she almost looked regretful. He felt a moment of concern and it must have shown because she gave him a reassuring smile before she moved into the kitchen and fished a clean washcloth from one of the drawers. Dampening it, she brought it over her face and neck, washing away some of the heat of the dry weather. When she turned she saw Conner sitting at the table, contently holding Desy in his arms and watching her.

Tessa smiled as she approached and Conner loosened his grip on the puppy, letting the animal move from his lap as Tessa gently brought the washcloth to his face, and he closed his eyes and felt the refreshing tingle on his skin as she traced his features with the damp cloth. When her fingers replaced the cloth he opened his eyes and smiled, obviously enjoying the attention.

“Are you alright?” he asked, even if he already knew that she was.

“Yes.” She nodded, allowing him to pull her forward as his hands went to her hips. She settled on his lap and wrapped her arms around him as he kissed her.

Tessa felt tired. Maybe it was the heat or maybe it was the mixed emotions that stirred from going outside. Either way, she felt like she needed to be refreshed and the washcloth just didn’t do it. She rested her head against Conner’s shoulder and gently nuzzled his neck, noticing that his skin felt even hotter than hers did.

“Will you stay for dinner tonight?” Tessa asked.

“Love to.” he smiled.

“I think I need a shower first.”

Conner tilted her chin in his direction and kissed her nose.

“Go ahead.” He insisted, “I can go pick something up and be back by the time you’re finished. Pizza?”

Tessa let him kiss her again, and as he did, she reached for his hand and then pulled back a little, her eyes shyly planted on his chest as she spoke.

“Or you could forget about pizza and come with me.” She said, hardly audible over the silence of the room.

Moments passed, and Conner seemed to have frozen in his seat. Tessa braved looking at him, and needless to say he looked surprised. He seemed to be searching for his voice and when he found it, he tried to use it.

“Tessa…”

She was looking at him so intently that he had to stop and stare. What exactly was she asking for? He wondered. If she was trying to seduce him, it was working. And as if she could read his mind, she answered the question that he was asking himself.

“You’ve seen me.” She whispered, “I want to see you, Conner.”

Conner swallowed, suddenly uncharacteristically nervous as he closed his eyes and felt her kissing him. With anyone else, Conner probably wouldn’t have hesitated, but with Tessa he wanted every single moment to mean something. It had been a long day and he was afraid that her emotions were getting the better of her, but was that really such a bad thing?

“Please.”

Shit, how could he say no to that? The sweet tone in her voice, the sincerity in her eyes. Hell, she had had him the moment that she said ‘shower’ and he had started to picture her naked with the water running over her body. Conner felt his twitching organ demanding to come out just thinking about it. He parted his lips to say something but closed his mouth when he realized that it had mysteriously gone dry. He squeezed her hand, trying to give her his answer silently and she seemed to understand, as she got up and pulled him along with her.

When they reached the stairs Conner seemed to have found some of his bearings and he suddenly pulled her back into his arms, bringing his mouth down and softly kissing her. Tessa smiled at him and they silently traveled up the stairs with Desy at their heals, and then closed the door on the disappointed puppy after entering the bathroom.

Conner didn’t hesitate to kick off his shoes as he watched Tessa turn on the water, using her wrist to check the temperature before she adjusted it. When the water was at a preferable temperature she turned back to see Conner was smiling at her and she felt herself blush again.

“I’ve never done this with another person before.” Tessa admitted.

Conner took a step forward and kissed her forehead.

“Neither have I.” He smiled.

Tessa did nothing to hide her surprise as she stared at him questioningly.

“Never? But you were married, Conner.”

“My ex wife never liked company in the shower.” He shrugged.

“Oh…so what should we do?”

Conner smiled at her again and she watched as he gripped the bottom of his shirt and began to lift it, stopping when he heard her voice.

“Conner, can I do that?” she asked shyly.

He released his shirt and looked at her, nodding slowly.

Tessa began to chew her lip as she reached out with timid hands, watching his chest heave with a long breath as she took hold of his shirt and gently lifted it. Conner raised his arms for her and bent his knees to duck down as she pulled the fabric over his head, and then he laughed as he watched her fold his shirt and neatly place it on the counter. He smiled when she was finished and stepped forward, keeping his dark eyes on Tessa’s expectant ones. She didn’t object as he carefully lifted her shirt, allowing his thumbs to graze her breasts as he slipped it over her head, and then he mockingly folded her shirt to imitate her actions.

Tessa shook her head at him and stepped forward again. He watched her hands as they found the button on his jeans and she carefully opened his pants, easing the zipper down as she pulled the material away from his body with care. He never had to ask her to be careful, his erection had not gone unnoticed by Tessa. She stepped even closer as she began to ease the jeans over his narrow hips and muscular flanks. She looked up at him. Conner dipped his head down and kissed her as his hands wound around her back and unhooked her bra.

Tessa shifted to remove the only piece of material separating his eager hands from her breasts and Conner stepped out of his jeans, pushing them back with his foot before Tessa could decide that she wanted to fold them too. He pulled her bra from her arms and disregarded it in the same manner. His hands were warm when they cupped her breasts and she leaned into him, gently sighing as he rolled her nipples between his fingers. She brought her hands to wander his chest. Her mouth kissed his neck, working up to his ear where she gently nibbled his lobe.

Conner reached for Tessa’s jeans, expertly opening them and pushing them from her hips. He got them down to her knees before he lost patience and pushed down her panties, causing Tessa to nearly trip in the process. She gripped his shoulders for support and laughed as she regained her balance. Conner looked at her with an apologetic grin as he decided to slow down, carefully helping her out of her jeans and then panties.

Her nudity didn’t seem to bother her now, she didn’t try to hide any part of her from him and Conner appreciated it. He let his hands roam over her skin, tracing the undersides of her breasts with his thumbs and wandering to her back, no longer noticing scars while pulling her firmly against him as he cupped her bottom.

He touched her everywhere he could, and then slowly ran his fingers down the path between her breasts, down her navel and over her soft mound, feeling her shiver as he cupped her member, and pleased because there was already the wetness of her arousal.

Tessa leaned into him for a moment, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling, but then pushed him back. Conner looked disappointed and almost worried for a moment. He obviously didn’t understand her motives until her eyes fell over his boxers. He was then taken aback by the mischievous look on her face as her fingers hooked in his underwear.

“Fairs fair.” She whispered, and then blushed over her own lack of coyness.

Conner smiled and decided to stand perfectly still. It was her turn to explore him and that was what she had wanted in the first place. The least he could do was be patient. Besides, at the moment he was feeling somewhat nervous, and the nervousness over Tessa seeing him was unexpected, but like she had said, it was only fair. Although, the look of seriousness crossing her face as she went about unwrapping him only added to Conner’s jumbled nerves. He was suddenly worried about what she would think of him. Tessa didn’t seem to notice his concern as she went about her task, causing him to shutter as she carefully eased his boxers over his throbbing member.

There was absolutely nothing he could do to hide his arousal and all he could do was hope that he wasn’t blushing as her eyes fixated an his most private part, standing erect against his belly as she eased it’s confines down.

Tessa took in the sight of Conner’s bare hips, and what was between them. His skin there was lighter than the rest of him, and she found him oddly attractive. Oddly, because she would never have thought of a man’s organ as attractive, but Conner’s was, long and hard, and even the dark curls surrounding it seemed beautiful in their own way.

Conner shivered as she bent slightly in front of him, working his boxers down. He felt her soft breath on his male appendage and clenched his fists for a moment, keeping control as he stepped out of the remainder of his clothes. He straightened himself and waited, watching as Tessa took the time to look him over. She suddenly drew closer to him, and he wrapped her in his arms, their bodies pressing together tightly, and the feeling of skin on skin was nearly intoxicating as she pressed her body into his organ, holding it between them as Conner lowered his head and kissed her again until she took his hand and led him towards the shower.

Conner watched Tessa step in first, her hair swaying at her waist and her pale bottom as she moved. She released Conner’s hand to reach for the soap as he stepped in, and she made sure that he had enough room to fit under the mist of water that they shared.

Conner wasn’t sure what to expect now, but he wasn’t expecting it when she poured soap into her hands and turned to wash him. She didn’t use a sponge, just her hands, hands he was happy to have on his body. He brought his hands to her sides and let his fingers slide gently over her wet skin as she began to lather him, running her hands down his sides, stepping closer as her hands found their way around him and her nails gently pressed against his ass, causing Conner to writhe in surprise, inhaling a gasp and bringing a smile to Tessa’s lips because she knew that he liked it. He kissed her before she could laugh at him, his hands working through her hair until she stepped back, forcing his hands away.

Tessa continued to let her lathered hands roam; still shy of his male sex, she avoided it, driving him insane while she eagerly touched everything else, running her hands down his legs, between his thighs and sending shivers through him every time her nails teased his skin.

Conner reached for her but she gently pushed his arms back down, guiding his body around her to place him directly under the water to rinse away the soap she had applied. She ran her hands over his body just as she had when she applied the soap, and when he tried to touch her again she led his arms back to his sides for the second time.